NORWALK >> Five days after as many as 10 players quit during practice, first-year La Mirada girls basketball head coach Darryl Gowens was fired Tuesday evening.

An hour later, the team — including most of the players who had quit last week — took the court for the first time since last week’s incident, and La Mirada defeated host John Glenn 43-38 on the Eagles’ senior night.

Gowens confirmed the firing during a phone interview on Tuesday. Messages left for La Mirada Principal Bill Seals, who Gowens said delivered the news, and athletic director Kim Brooks were not returned.

The first reports of the mass exodus of players, which occurred Thursday evening, came via the players through Twitter. Several players posted that they had quit the team and others tweeted their support for the move. A majority of the players who left were seniors. According to players, that practice was the final straw of a growing rift between the upperclassmen and Gowens.

On Friday, Gowens said he was not concerned about his job, saying the athletic director and principal had told him they supported him. Brooks was on record as saying he supported Gowens “100 percent.”

According to parent Tina Salaises, she and two other parents met with Brooks in early September, bringing forth concerns about Gowens. They alleged that Gowens was overstepping his boundaries with the players in terms of trying to control aspects outside of basketball, and that he had issues controlling his temper. Tom Magill, the father of senior Madison Magill, said some players were “physically scared” of Gowens.

When reached by phone, Gowens disputed the allegations, saying he did speak with players about topics outside of basketball on a few occasions (Gowens said he was asked by parents on one occasion to talk with their daughter on a subject), but never tried to control their personal lives. In terms of his temper, Gowens is considered an in-your-face type of coach, but he said he never crossed the line.

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On Tuesday morning, parents and players met with La Mirada’s vice-principal, Seals and Norwalk-La Mirada superintendent Dr. Ruth Perez in three seperate meetings addressing Gowens. During the meeting, players presented letters they wrote about the situation.

The final meeting was with Perez around 9 a.m. and according to Tom Magill, Perez gave her word that there would be an investigation and she would look into getting a replacement coach so the girls could finish out their season.

The Lady Matadores were forced to forfeit their first game after the players quit last week, leaving the rest of the season in limbo. But according to Tom Magill, the players did not want to take away Glenn’s senior night, which was also the final home game for longtime Glenn head coach Linda Parra, who was retiring from coaching the girls program there.

“I thank La Mirada for playing,” said Parra after the game. “I didn’t care who we played, just as long as my girls were able to play tonight.”

After the La Mirada players decided they would play, although with a different coach, it was unknown if another coach would be found in time to fill in for Gowens. It was initially suggested it would be the JV coach, but it was Ollie Lynch, the dean of students, who filled in during La Mirada’s five-point win. Lynch declined to comment on the situation and could not confirm that he would be the coach for La Mirada’s senior night when the team plays its final regular-season game on Thursday against Bellflower.

Tom Magill said it was not the players’ intention to get Gowens fired entering Tuesday morning’s meeting, but that they just wanted things changed.